Kaylee Nguyen

Freshman Hayleigh “Hanjoon” Han showcases her sense of style called tsuyome gyaru (broad term to describe strong, extreme makeup) with yamanba makeup. There are many different substyles to gyaru, but she leans toward a substyle called manba gyaru. “There are so many substyles to the fashion culture of a gyaru,” Han said.

Gyaru, a Japanese term that translates to “gal”, is a dramatic Japanese fashion subculture that goes against the traditional Japanese standard of modesty. During freshman Hayleigh “Hanjoon” Han’s eighth grade year, schoolmates labeled her style as “alternative” due to her unique looks. Over time, she learned to embrace her differences and switched her personality and fashion to gyaru.

“The backstory of ‘gyaru’ is that it was a style in Japan to get away from the beauty or fashion standards. Super tanned skin, heavy makeup, dyed hair, etc.,” Han said.

To maintain a distinct gyaru lifestyle, Han wakes up at 6 a.m. every weekday to apply her makeup and get her outfit ready. When she finishes, she feels proud of herself and takes pictures in her mirror.

“It’s like a reward, seeing my full outfit and makeup put together like that,” Han said.

Even though she finds that the style allows her to express herself by physically manifesting her personality, she shared that it took time to step into gyaru.

“When I was beginning seventh grade, I would get bullied a lot because of the way I looked. I had split-dye half pink half black hair and I was called ugly. People thought because I was ugly, I was ‘alternative’ so I just started to embrace that. So at the beginning of eighth grade year, I started to transition into gyaru. Full blonde hair, curls at the end, ponytails, pigtails, heavy makeup,” Han said.

This was a decision for Han that affected her daily life and mindset. She worried about how she affected the people around her, specifically her friends.

“I already stood out every day. How would they react if I became something that would for sure attract tons of attention?” Han said.

Even on a regular basis, she still dressed “irregularly” due to her middle school’s dress code and standards of average fashion, which consisted of casual wear such as sweats or hoodies.

“Back then, my usual fashion style was just baggy jeans and a graphic t-shirt, and I would still get shamed for that. The fashion standards back in my middle school were very plain and strict. I wasn’t even allowed to wear anything that stood out or else I would get harshly criticized for it, sometimes it would even get physical,” Han said.

She states an instance when,while she had crutches, a girl who didn’t like her kicked them to trip her over. Many of her friends didn’t accept her. They stopped hanging out with her due to her “outlandish” look. She was bullied before for looking different and it worsened after she transitioned into a gyaru.

“When I met with my friends inside school, they were asking me why I looked so different. They disapproved of it so much that they started calling me names.,” Han said.

Despite the challenges, her parents were supportive of her decision. Her mother even shared a similar past.

“When I first started to transition into my gyaru lifestyle, my parents were really supportive and I was very similar to my mother when she was my age. She stood out because of her extreme Y2K style – big belts, Juicy Couture bags, and fluffy tracksuits,” Han said.

Han is now proud of the fashion choice she made and doesn’t regret it. She is happy that students here are accepting and has received many compliments about her outfits and is pleased to be herself without being shamed.

“It is promoting to be yourself. Show your personality on the inside and express yourself in a fun way. ‘Gal is sexy, gal is mind,’” Han said.